With Ohio, all things are possible — especially for would-be presidents

OHIO, home state of seven US presidents and the state that denied John Kerry the White House, is used to being in the centre of presidential elections.

Just two men have taken the White House without winning the state since 1900. Ohioans pride themselves on going with the winner. So to no Ohioan's surprise, President George Bush's re-election was keyed to Ohio, where he was leading Democrat John Kerry with an estimated few hundred thousand votes yet to be counted.

One thing seemed clear as the sun rose yesterday: whoever won Ohio's 20 electoral votes would win the White House.